


Armour

by nondeducible



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-14
Updated: 2013-01-14
Packaged: 2018-01-12 08:56:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1184327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nondeducible/pseuds/nondeducible
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time they tumbled into bed together, with a purpose far more meaningful than sleeping, John was surprised to find how tender and caring Sherlock can be. Whatever armour of steel and high functioning sociopathy he donned each day, he shed it as soon as he stepped into John’s (their) bedroom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Armour

**Author's Note:**

> For a one word tumblr prompt: armour. Not beta'd. All mistakes are my own.

Their relationship started at two different times, depending on who you ask. According to John they crossed the line from close friends to something more around the time Sherlock started crawling into John’s bed every night. John never asked why, as though bringing it up would break the spell and Sherlock would go back to his old bed and his old habits of keeping an irregular sleeping pattern. (After the Garrideb case Sherlock had to make sure John was safe and that John was here because he wouldn’t survive being apart from him again.) Every morning they woke up tangled in each other’s limbs and both seemed content enough not to talk about it. They passed their days as always, bickering and chasing criminals, but each night they ended up in sleeping in the same bed. John realised, after cuddling Sherlock for two weeks, that they might have stumbled into a relationship. Remarkably, he was very okay with that. According to Sherlock, forever a pragmatist, their relationship started the moment they first shared a kiss, which happened three weeks after they silently agreed on sharing a bed.

They never discussed the change in their relationship. They accepted it as a natural progression, an evolutionary step bound to happen, and as such not worth talking about. Through an unspoken agreement they kept it private, not mentioning it to anyone unless asked outright. Even then they usually responded with noncommittal noises that could be interpreted as both a confirmation and a denial. It would have made little difference if they announced it openly, as almost everyone they knew or met assumed they were a couple anyway. Sherlock’s behaviour at crime scenes didn’t alter and he regularly insulted everyone’s intelligence and observational skills, including John’s. The only difference was that in cabs Sherlock always sought out John’s hand and held on to it tightly until they got home. He was also more likely to make John tea, though those occasions were still few and far between.

Most people assume Sherlock is as cold in his domestic life as he is when dealing with the outside world. Most people are wrong. (Most people are idiots.) No one would ever dare to call him caring and loving, but he does show affection in his own ways. He keeps his experiments in the fridge on a specifically designated shelf in labelled, tightly sealed boxes. He eats the food John cooks him, even when on a case. (Although never without protest.) He sleeps more regularly, because each night John (safe, loving, here, everything John) is there too. During cases he makes sure to be there when John falls asleep, slipping from the warm embrace of their bed once John’s breathing deepens and evens out. John’s heart swells with something he can’t put into words yet each time he notices the small gestures of affection.

The first time they tumbled into bed together, with a purpose far more meaningful than sleeping, John was surprised to find how tender and caring Sherlock can be. Whatever armour of steel and high functioning sociopathy he donned each day, he shed it as soon as he stepped into John’s (their) bedroom. His entire posture relaxed, sharp angles of his (still too thin) body softened and his carefully crafted mask of indifference slipped effortlessly off his face. His lips were warm and tender, like his words and hands, each caressing John’s body selflessly and with abandon. Sherlock always gives back everything he takes during the day, outside of their bedroom, and John is eternally grateful he is the only one to receive it.


End file.
